Shouki Clan
The Shouki clan hails from Mizu no Kuni and now serves Kirigakure no Sato. They deal in poisons and their immunity to it has done them good. The newer generation seems to thirst for change within the clan, but if this means a shift in the way the clan does things remains yet to be seen. Clan Ideology The clan has a simple ideology. The single individual is unimportant; it is the wellbeing of the whole that only matters. Because of this the Clan has an almost fanatical approach to obedience and the success of the mission. The priorities of the Clan are threefold: Clan, Village, Squad. Your allegiance is first to your fellow Clansmen, followed by the good of the Village, and lastly to your fellow Squad members. Of course this is the internal doctrine of the Clan; outwardly you’ll find that any member would reverse the order between Clan and Village. Although they are members of the Village, the Clan has difficulty in forgetting its past and because of this traditions have been born that teach each Clan they can only rely on one another in the end. Indoctrination begins at a young age. Education in the way of the shinobi begins long before the Academy ever starts. This is to ensure that the Clan member will learn to guard their heart and their loyalty before the creation of any complicated ties that might occur once integration at the Academy begins. Because of this it is rare to see any Clan children too young for the Academy outside the compound of the Clan. Despite this it is still required for Shouki to pursue the life of a Shinobi and enter the Academy. Given that their own perceived worth goes hand in hand with their usefulness as Shinobi it is expected for all to train, which starts with the Academy. Clan members are restricted to only marry and have children within their own Clan and it is often recommended to have as many offspring as possible given the high mortality rate among adolescents. This has helped ensure that the Clan survives, all be it at reduced numbers. To help ensure their place in the Village the Clan stresses the need for success in any mission and secrecy above all else. The life of the individual or even the rest of the Squad is unimportant so long as the mission succeeds and no information is ever leaked. Because of this torture is often a teaching tool to help prepare the young for potential capture. All in all, the ideology of the Clan can sometimes be seen as barbaric. In fact in recent years this view has been shared by some of the younger generation and although few have become outspoken about it there has been shifts in Clan dynamics. Factions haven’t broken out yet, but lines are being drawn and camps formed. In the near future it wouldn’t be strange to see proponents of the old ways and those seeking change in an effort to break away from isolationism and cruelty. Clan History During the days before the great wars that would result in the villages the Shouki served the people as capable healers. They traded their skills to other Clans for whatever they needed. It went on like that for some time. They became masters of Medical Ninjutsu and relied on the knowledge of natural herbs to amplify their talents. However, when conflict and war broke out something changed within the Shouki. Their abilities to heal made them ideal targets for other Clans who hoped to force them into working for them during the battles that raged across the world. It was this perceived weakness that forced the Clan to change themselves The Shouki transitioned their focus sculpting their knowledge specifically to those herbs that inflicted harm to others. The Clan used the wars to get their hands on no shortage of test subjects for their poisons. However, when subjects were not available they tested the poisons on themselves. The Clan even went so far as to change their name to the Shouki, the Miasma, stripping their old name from their oral history to signify this new era. It is difficult to say how much time passed before the change occurred among the Shouki. What is known though is that testing on themselves led to an interesting discovery. The people of the Shouki developed a ritual that resulted in a drastic change of their bodies. The poisons that once killed or harmed their people no longer did so. Instead the Shouki found that with the use of Chakra they could manipulate poisons inside their body and use it against their foes. That through this ritual they could alter body chemistry allowing them to store and create poisons from within their bodies. This revelation caused them to study and rely on poisons even more so. They found ways to utilize these poisons even for interrogation and torture. They also devised a style of Taijutsu that could become a deadly combination with their newfound abilities. That is how the Clan progressed for the years to follow. Eventually they recognized that simply being on their own despite their talents would ultimately lead to their destruction so they sought out a powerful ally, a Village. Having sold their skills for years to the various powers they didn't have to look long to find someone willing to take them. In -86 SD they joined Kirigakure. Kirigakure had existed now for three generations and was proving to be a growing power in the various nations. Their mentality at the time was close to the Clan's and thus Shouki aligned themselves with the people of the Mist. From there they plied their skills for that Village for generations to come, continually honing their skills and becoming masters of intelligence and assassination. Their ambition and talents only tempered by their smaller numbers, a side effect of the ritual. When the Civil War came and the Daimyo came knocking it was the Shouki who stood beside the Kage against the enemies of the Village. However, this was not born out of any love for Kirigakure, but rather a mistrust of the Daimyo. They could not trust that their way of life would continue as they knew it under the government's regime so they sided with the side they knew. When the years followed and Kage after Kage was replaced the Shouki were there always willing to offer their services to the next leader. All of this was of course done under the guise of loyalty to the Village. In reality so long as the Clan could continue as it were and their own survival was ensured the state of the rest of the Village mattered little beyond whatever was asked of them. Highs or lows they have been there for the Kirigakure, even if their real reasons were more self serving. To this day they still work within the Village, a smaller power in comparison to the other Clans perhaps, but a power all the same. Though grumbles of change from the younger generation might spell revolution and a change of direction for a Clan that has remained constant ever since their shift from medicine. Clan Hierarchy Given the ideology that the whole is greater than the individual it is unsurprising that the Clan has long since done away with any sort of sole Head. This shift in leadership occurred at the same time the Clan shifted its philosophies and techniques. Instead the Clan is ruled by a Council of seven all of which have either retired from services of a Shinobi or are nearing their final years of service. Because typically speaking a Council member is elected from those of older generation it has only reinforced the traditional values detailed in the Ideology. Age though isn’t the requirement to join the Council, rather prestige. However, due to the dangerous nature of more prestigious missions it is typically older individuals who have taken safer less important missions that reach a point to ascend to such ranks. Under the Council members are the Elders. Each Elder is in charge of a particular facet deemed important to the Clan and are in charge of directing efforts in these endeavors. Elders can be found concerning Clan Ninjutsu, Clan Taijutsu, Clan Indoctrination, Youngling Training, Poison Research, and Torture/Intelligence. Elders are typically at least Jounin, though most are Elite Jounin. It is from these ranks that the next Council members are often selected from. Elders oversee the everyday business of the Clan and direct the remaining Clan members beneath them in their efforts within the Clan. What are left are the average Clan members and the Younglings. Clan members who aren’t currently engaged on a mission or other work for the Village are assigned to a department within the Clan and report to the Elder. Under the Elder’s direction they do whatever work is necessary whether training, researching, or acting on some other order. Then there are Younglings. Younglings are what classify any Clansmen from birth until they pass the Academy. At the age of three a Youngling’s training begins and alternates between Youngling Training and Clan Indoctrination. It is between them time that Youngling Training begins and the Academy starts that many of the Clan don’t make it. Hijutsu - Shouki Protection from Poison The major ability of the Shouki is their resistance to poisons, toxins, truth serums, and other dangerous psychedelic drugs. They are completely immune to them and in fact utilize their bodies as weapons, harboring toxins to use on others. To accomplish this the Shouki utilize a special ritual, Dokuyoke (Protection Against Poison). This ritual’s sole purpose was to bind to any poison or toxins that invaded the body and then create antibodies to combat them. These poisons and toxins also lingered in the body infusing the chemicals into the Shouki’s blood, mucus membranes, and sweat glands. This ritual is a closely guarded secret among the Clan and in order for it to be successful it must be applied to an individual while they are still young. Because of this it is applied when a Clansmen is only three years of age. It is here that the first trail for any member of the Clan presents itself. At the same time that the ritual takes place the Clansmen is also subjected to a number of poisons. If the body isn't strong enough or the ritual is even slightly erred then the poisons will overrun the body and the individual will die. This has resulted in a high adolescent mortality rate for the Clan. With the ritual the Shouki Clan has also mastered the use of Hijutsu for combat oriented purposes. Their blood is famously used to taint their weapons and can poison their victims when entered into the enemy’s bloodstream. The mucus membrane that lines their esophagus allows them to poison their breath and therefore after building up chakra can blow out poisoned smog. At higher levels a shinobi of the Shouki Clan can even force chakra into their very pores, enlarging them and sending out the poison from their sweat glands. Clan members have used this technique to not just create clouds of poison, but by continuing to force out their chakra they can surround their body with toxic fumes that make Taijutsu a dangerous option for their enemies. At the highest levels their poisons become so strong that they can bypass needing to be inhaled and can directly affect a person through their skin. Each of these poisons though are secret Jutsu of the Clan only passed down to fellow members who have undergone the ritual Hijutsu. Sutairu no Hebi This is a combat Taijutsu with Shouki ninjutsu as support developed by the Shouki to maximize their effectiveness in combat. The snake style is built around maintaining a low stance with fast quick striking movements like that of a snake. The user is constantly on the move circling around their opponent like a snake coiled around its prey. The user will then lash out with quick striking accurate attacks that use their fingers to strike at their opponent. The muscles along the arm and fingers are especially trained to create powerful thrusting motions with iron strong hands that can break bones and cause intense pain to their targets. Their legs are used to lash out at their enemies tripped and trapping targets so that they cannot escape and are pulled in further against the onslaught of attacks. All this is used in conjunction with the Shouki jutsu of their clan to add the element of poison to their taijutsu and permeate the air around them with gas and fumes that will eventually kill their enemies if the taijutsu does not finish them off first. In the beginning shinobi only get a small grasp of this style simply learning how to properly maneuver their arms and body. However, as they train and practice more they develop and understanding of properly placing their attacks, combine them with his Shouki jutsu, and eventually focus all their training in enhancing their speed and power to create the lightning whip like speed and powerful penetrating force it is renown for. There is nothing special to them beyond their design to be used with the Clan's Ninjutsu nor is there any requirement of an SA to learn them.